A Florida man, 61-year-old Robert Wayne Murray, will spend the rest of his life behind bars for the 2020 murder of 63-year-old Jenie Barbato. According to Murray himself, he became “upset” after Barbato, his girlfriend, stopped talking to him.
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As reported by WPEC, Murray was sentenced to serve two consecutive life sentences on Friday, September 26. He had been found guilty of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon and burglary while armed in August.
“I am filled with so much emotion,” Barbato’s daughter, Melissa Grace, said. “It’s been five years — five very long years — but we have come to a resolution.”
The incident occurred back on September 14, 2020, according to WPBF. They had received a welfare check request on a Century Village residence after a concerned individual had observed Barbato’s front window broken.
Upon arrival, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputies found the window broken, with blood on the window lock and on the front door. Through the broken window, deputies observed a woman lying in a pool of blood.
Stabbed To Death
After gaining entry to the apartment, they found Jenie Barbato unresponsive, having suffered stab wounds to her back. A medical examiner determined that she had been stabbed at least 11 times.
Tragically, deputies knew Barbato from previous instances of domestic-related calls. As per The Palm Beach Post, three weeks before her murder, Barbato called 911. She played a voicemail to a deputy in which Robert Wayne Murray threatened to kill her.
“You called the police on me. For no reason,” he said, in part, according to court records. “Remember that. I’m going to kill you.”
An incident report obtained by the outlet detailed that Murray had texted two individuals. He had asked them to convince Barbato to call him. Apparently, she had blocked his number and refused to call him. Chillingly, Murray allegedly texted, “Okay thanks if she don’t do it watch the news.”
WPBF then reported that, later that night, Murray called 911 and told the dispatcher that he was “upset that his girlfriend stopped talking to him, and he wanted to kill himself.”
Due to her decision to cut ties with him, Murray had used a large butcher’s knife to stab Barbato to death.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, you can reach the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233. You can also chat with a representative at thehotline.org​ or by texting “START” to 88788.